Car Accident Lawyers

Have You Been Injured in a Car Accident?

Edelman, Krasin & Jaye are established Long Island car accident lawyers with convenient office locations in the Bronx and Suffolk County, NY.

If you have been injured in an automobile crash, you need experienced Long Island car accident lawyers on your side. Edelman, Krasin & Jaye is renowned for negotiating fair and full compensation in car accident cases. Unfortunately, insurance companies do not have your best interests at heart. We fight on your behalf to have injuries — from broken bones and back injuries to paralysis and brain trauma — covered. By filing a Long Island car accident lawsuit, you may also be able to secure compensation for lost wages, home modifications to accommodate disability, future medical expenses, and pain and suffering.

Last year, there were 294,757 car accidents in New York State. For some people, an auto accident is a bad day – a major expense, a hassle, and an excuse for showing up late to a prior engagement. For 123,296 people, auto accidents were the direct cause of personal injury and, in some cases, permanent disability. For 1,086 others, car accidents were listed as the official cause of death.

NY “no fault insurance” laws

New York is one of a handful of U.S. states with a “no fault insurance” law, which says that one’s own car insurance policy provides medical and lost wage coverage in the event of a car accident, regardless of who was at fault. Drivers in New York State must carry $50,000 in personal injury protection, $10,000 in property damage liability, and $25,000 in uninsured coverage. The benefit of no-fault insurance in NY is that the coverage is less expensive than comprehensive vehicle coverage, there is no fighting to resolve claims, and there is peace of mind in knowing all your party’s injuries will be covered.

However, critics of no fault insurance argue there are no consequences for reckless drivers who continually cause NY car accidents. Furthermore, insurance costs can be high when nefarious collision shops and doctors “pad” the claims, knowing that insurance companies can afford to pay. Commonly, insurers only agree to pay up to a certain limit for lost wages, whereas at-fault drivers are required to cover the full amount of loss.

Some car accidents in New York are so bad that motorists may step outside the no-fault statutes and file a personal injury lawsuit against the other driver. These cases usually involve medical bills that exceed $50,000, a death or loss of fetus, fractures, dismemberment, serious disfigurement, disability, loss of body function, or at least three months of daily impairment.

Types of car accidents

Edelman, Krasin & Jaye specialize in many different types of NY auto accidents, including the following:

Head-on collisions – Head-on collisions account for 2% of car accidents in the U.S., but they cause 10 percent of all fatalities. Most head-on collisions occur when there is a lane departure or the driver accidentally goes the wrong way on a one-way street or thruway ramp. Driver distraction is usually to blame. Drivers may fall asleep at the wheel or swerve to avoid debris. They may be passing unsafely, texting, eating, distracted by other passengers, or unable to see due to adverse weather conditions. Injuries from head-on collisions include bone fractures, internal injuries, brain and spinal cord injuries.

Rear-end fender benders – “Rear-end impacts are the most common type of auto accident,” according to the NY Times. But they “have not received as much attention from carmakers as frontal and side crashes, which result in more serious injuries and fatalities.” Even so, rear-end collisions account for most of the two million annual insurance claims involving neck injuries. A 2006 review found that many top-sold vehicles – like the Toyota Camry, Kia Optima and Dodge Caliber — did not fare well in rear-end crash tests.

Generally, people assume that the rear-ending vehicle is to blame for the collision. However, our Long Island car accident attorneys have seen rear-ending drivers dodge accountability by offering genuine and reasonable excuses, such as the front vehicle stopping unexpectedly for no reason, the front vehicle missing brake lights, or the driver facing an emergency situation where hitting the other car’s bumper was the least dangerous option.

Rollover crashes – Rollovers are a common cause of single-vehicle fatalities. In 2008, there were 8,037 roll-over fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that SUVs have the highest rollover frequency in both fatal crashes and personal injury accidents. In fatal accidents, 33 percent of rollovers were in SUVs, followed by pickups (28%), vans (17%) and passenger cars (17%). Causes of rollovers in New York include: over-correction of the wheel, falling asleep, hitting a median or ditch, careening into a guard rail, high speed, and carrying too much cargo.

Drunk driving accidents – In 2012, there were 8,633 alcohol-related automobile accidents in New York State, including 358 fatalities. More than half of the New Yorkers involved in drunk driving accidents were injured. The Bureau of Injury Prevention says that eight in 10 people hurt in a drunk driving accident are seriously injured. Alcohol and driving at an unsafe speed are the two highest risk factors for traumatic brain injuries.

In New York, DUI laws define “drunk driving” as 0.08 blood alcohol level of higher. Commercial drivers have a lower threshold of 0.04% or higher. New York has a “zero tolerance policy” for drivers who are under 21, so any alcohol found in their systems can warrant a DUI offense. It is not always the driver who is solely responsible in drunk driving accidents. New York also permits liability for businesses and individuals who served the driver alcohol.

In 2007, New York car accidents were responsible for $708 million in hospital and emergency room expenses. The average hospital bill totaled $37,375. Fortunately, a qualified personal injury lawyer with our firm can help victims recover damages in these cases.

How a New York accident attorney can help

If you’ve been in a recent car accident, you likely have many questions that need answering. How is fault determined in New York State? Am I eligible to sue for damages? How do I prove what happened in the accident? Will my insurance fully cover my losses? Will my insurance premium go up? How can I protect my driving record? What do I do if I get into an accident and I don’t have insurance?

Our law firm is more than happy to discuss your case during a private consultation. Call 1-800-469-7429 for a free evaluation with an experienced NYC & Long Island car accident lawyer today.

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About Edelman, Krasin & Jaye

Edelman, Krasin & Jaye is a personal injury law firm with offices throughout New York including Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, and Long Island. Edelman Krasin & Jaye represents victims from all over the country in serious personal injury lawsuits, class action lawsuits, labor law issues, federal claims and pharmaceutical mass torts. We offer free legal consultation and accept cases on a contingency basis; there is never a charge unless we win compensation on your behalf.

The content of this website has been prepared by Edelman, Krasin & Jaye, Personal Injury Lawyers based in New York, for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. The material posted on this website neither creates, nor receipt of it creates, a lawyer-client relationship, and readers should not act upon it without seeking professional counsel. This website contains attorney advertising. Past outcomes are not indicative of future results.